travelgourmet

There was an article a while back about stealing from hotels. The hotel managers interviewed all seemed to agree that toiletries were fair game. Will try to find the link, but it was in one of the major travel mags.

Cowboy1968

If you take toiletries (not the wall-mounted soap dispenser, of course) back home, you do the hotel the favor of having the reminder of a (hopefully) nice stay around you for a longer time. Same with pencils, ball pens, and small notebooks (not the leather-bound case of the stationary, of course). The hotel would probably even pay you € 20 cash money, if you promised to show off your 3c worth pencil from the Vienna Hilton to your co-workers back home.
You can also take your nightly sweet treat back home if you don't like to eat it on the spot.
That's called post-purchase marketing or maintaining a post-purchase relationship with the customer.

Any other items, like bathrobes, slippers, sometimes even towels often come with a note saying that you can purchase them if you want. Those items are not for free, obviously.
Also not for free are the remote control, the flatscreen TV, the alarm clock, the chamber maid, furniture, lamps, faucets, the trouser press, and so on.

At hotel buffets, you do not take items with you unless you are clearly invited to do so. Which is a bit rare, but I've been at hotels that invited you to take fruits or yoghurt with you from the buffet. But I don't find that to be the norm (yet). Budget hotels rather advertise the different message.
Taking one apple or one banana from a buffet might be acceptable if there is no note - but helping yourself to a few extra sandwiches or fill up empty bottles with the OJ is clearly not, IMO. I might not even call the latter stealing, but definetely showing bad manners.
Many hotels exclude the breakfast buffet from their rates these days anyway. So you can decide if you are hungry enough for the buffet or rather have a coffee and croissant elsewhere.

Josser

Also not for free are ..... the chamber maid....

Spoilsport!

Melnq8

"I must be very po-faced, but I think it is pretty pathetic to pocket the toiletries in an hotel."

So how does waste figure in? Do you really think a hotel is going to leave a partially used mini bottle of shampoo for the next guest?

...Actually, that happened to me once in a cheapo hotel - talk about pennywise and pound foolish.

For what it's worth, I find food in Switzerland very expensive, but less so since I've been living in Australia!

cathies

I take the toiletries if they are particularly nice. I know I am probably very easily pleased but when I use them at home they are a nice reminder of that holiday. We had Hermes toiletries in our hotel in Athens, and one morning when I asked for one thing in particular (can't remember now) the chamber maid gave me some extras of everything. You can bet your bottom dollar I took them home!!

walkinaround

>>>>
travelgourmet: are you walkingaround's brother?
>>>>

why are you dragging me into this?

no we're not related but apparently we share a common disdain for the use of misinformation. the problem here on fodors is that misinformation is often left unchallenged when it is used in support of ideas that are popular here.

in this example we see a warped interpretation of OP's question. we then gang up and try to teach the OP our trite little lessons using whatever misinformation we can think of. i'll leave it to TG to argue the costs of food in CH vs america but i do know that it is downright ridiculous to gang up on the OP to teach some kind of lesson about bringing 'evil' american food to europe. it was clearly explained that the OP just wants to bring some snacks to avoid having to buy them locally for various reasons. makes perfect sense to me for many reasons and frankly i travel more around europe more than 99% of people on this board and i do exactly the same thing. why?...

-european food shops are often quite restricted in opening times and i don't want to depend on looking around when i arrive somewhere, especially if it's late.

-travelling already requires a rather huge check-list of things to do - taxi to airport, security, waiting, immigration, get local currency, taxi or figuring out transport to hotel, check-in, etc, etc. why add shopping for things that i can just as easily bring from home to that list?

-i want/need some snacks for the room and i do not want to depend on the mini-bar or room service and it's far easier to throw some light energy bars in my bag than to go shopping for them locally (or 'wonderful' cheeses, tampinades, or wind-dried meats for that matter). i think we all understand the difference between eating for enjoyment and the occasional need for some quick calories.

-i enjoy long, drawn out continental meals as much as everyone but at times i prioritise other things...in many places on the continent, it's simply not possible or convenient to get a quick meal (or a quick meal that is not 'fast food'). sometimes you'd rather do something other than spending 90+ minutes for a lunch. i think that's what the OP is saying, janis.

-i travel to the continent so often that a visit to a continental supermarket is not a rare treat to be savoured. yes it's enjoyable when there is time and inclination but i feel no need to take advantage of every opportunity to shop in one. and i certainly don't need american europhiles TEACHING me how great they are.

-i have a condition that necessitates that i have easy access to a snack when required- i feel no need to join the party in declaring myself a person who doesn't snack - presumably to set oneself apart from americans who we like to think of as constantly munching on junk food.

but what do we expect? did we really think that a poster asking about bringing a few simple items of (presumably) AMERICAN food to EUROPE would get a simple answer free of condescending lectures?

chartley

This thread is getting like those tedious discussions about whether you should carry some euro with you when travelling from the United States, or rely on visiting an ATM in the airport on arrival. It's all a matter of balance.

Carrying some bars of chocolate or muesli is a sensible idea, while the thought of a fellow train passenger eating sachets of tuna fills me with horror.

Similarly I have experienced all the cash machines in a town being out of order, and having enough money to buy lunch was an advantage.

Perhaps what I find most distressing is the attitude that non-American food is somehow insubstantial, unavailable or dangerous, and that the price differentials between countries are some sort of conspiracy. Any difference in prices between countries will depend on the exchange rate, consumer preferences and variations in the standard of living.

walkinaround

>>>>>
Perhaps what I find most distressing is the attitude that non-American food is somehow insubstantial, unavailable or dangerous, and that the price differentials between countries are some sort of conspiracy.
>>>>>>

that's what we WANT to see in the OP's post - because it plays nicely with our teachings that americans are xenophobic, in need of 'substantial' food-presumably because they are fat, arrogant and paranoid. but the reality is that no such thing is said or implied by the OP or anyone else on this thread. the OP just wanted to bring a few snacks with him for various reasons (as very clearly explained). and for all the reasons together he thinks it's a good idea to bring some snacks (hardly something that takes very much effort) - and whether you agree or disagree or would do the same thing yourself, it's hardly irrational or sinister in any way. you people really need to put things in perspective.

chartley

I thought that would get you going. Motes and beams, old chap, motes and beams.